North Carolina launches news defense and security incubator

Published 2 November 2006

Located in Fayetteville, the Defense and Security Technology Accelerator will be home to as many as fifteen growing companies; North Carolina is the latest to see the value in supporting young homeland security firms

North Carolina, already the home of the tech-happy Research Triangle centered around Duke University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and North Carolina State University, will soon be turning its attention to homeland security development. The Defense & Security Technology Accelerator (DSTA), a partnership of the North Carolina Technology Association (NCTA), the Cumberland County Business Council, and the non-profit Partnership for Defense Innovation, has just opened and intends to rapidly deploy state of the art technology to war fighters and intelligence officers. North Carolina is already home to a number of critical military bases, including Fort Bragg and Pope Air Force Base, and DTSA boosters hope to develop a close relationship between scientists and soldiers.

DSTA, located in Fayetteville, North Carolina, will be home to as many as fifteen companies, all of which will be charged with developing their technologies for the marketplace within an eight to eighteen month time frame. Both Class A office space and state-of-the-art laboratory space will be available, including workbenches for prototype testing and product development, shared conference rooms, a kitchen and breakroom, and a receptionist. Since security is a top priority, DSTA will be safeguarded by a high-tech security system and equipped with a secure conference room.

DSTA, of course, is not the only state or municipal integrator around. We have in the past, for instance, reported on the Chesapeake Innovation Center, with the capacity to house approximately twenty to twenty-five start-up companies in its 27,500 square foot facility in Annapolis, Maryland; a homeland security innovation center at Northwestern University that provides grants of up to $150,000 — part of the governor’s $75 million initiative to encourage state’s businesses and universities to develop homeland security technology; and a 65,000 square-foot facility in Bethpage, New York focusing on sensors, detectors, and other equipment for first responders and anti-terror use.

Interested companies should visit the DSTA Web site for detailed application instructions.

-read more in this organization news release; DSTA Web site

BLUE BOX

A new professional organization in North Carolina will bring together local educators, scientists, and businessmen to help bring advanced learning technologies into the workplace. The North Carolina Association for Advanced Learning Technologies will focus on “interactive digital environments for advanced learning technologies” (IDEAL Tech) in order to accelerate economic development in North Carolina by serving as an incubator lab for projects sponsored by members of the business community.

-read more in this organization news release